Portable device communicating with charger and method of operating the same

ABSTRACT

A portable device includes: a modem configured to perform power line communication with a charger external to the portable device; and a charging circuit configured to, from first power provided by the charger, charge a battery and supply power to an electrical load, wherein the charging circuit is further configured to cut off the supply of the first power to the electrical load and supply second power from the battery to the electrical load.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0105535, filed on Aug. 21,2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The inventive concepts relate to a portable device including a battery,and more particularly, to a portable device communicating with a batteryand a method of operating the portable device.

Portable devices including batteries have been broadly used. Portabledevices may have structures in which batteries thereof are replaced whenthe batteries run out, or may include rechargeable batteries.Rechargeable batteries included in portable devices may be charged frompower provided by chargers connected to the portable devices. Portabledevices including such rechargeable batteries may communicate withchargers for purposes of quick charging, battery protection, overheatingprevention, high-efficiency charging, and/or the like, and thus, moreefficient and/or more accurate communication between the portabledevices and the chargers may be advantageous.

SUMMARY

The inventive concepts provide a portable device more efficiently and/ormore accurately communicating with a charger and a method of operatingthe portable device.

According to an aspect of the inventive concepts, there is provided aportable device including: a modem configured to perform power linecommunication with a charger external to the portable device; and acharging circuit configured to, from first power provided by thecharger, charge a battery and supply power to an electrical load,wherein the charging circuit is further configured to cut off the supplyof the first power to the electrical load and supply second power fromthe battery to the electrical load, during a first period including aperiod in which the power line communication occurs.

According to another aspect of the inventive concepts, there is provideda portable device including: a first terminal and a second terminal,each contacting a charger external to the portable device; a modemconfigured to perform power line communication with the charger via thefirst terminal and/or the second terminal; a charging circuit connectedto the first terminal, the second terminal, a battery, and an electricalload, wherein the charging circuit includes: a first switch connectedbetween the first terminal and the electrical load; a second switchconnected between the electrical load and the battery; and a switchcontroller configured to turn off the first switch and turn on thesecond switch, during a first period including a period in which thepower line communication occurs.

According to yet another aspect of the inventive concepts, there isprovided a method of operating a portable device for performing powerline communication with a charger external thereto, the methodincluding: during a first period including a period in which the powerline communication occurs, cutting off supply of first power, which isprovided by the charger, to an electrical load and supplying secondpower from a battery to the electrical load; and, when the first periodis terminated, from the first power, charging the battery and supplyingpower to the electrical load.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments of the inventive concepts will be more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are timing diagrams illustrating examples of packets,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of noise generated by a portable device,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an operation of aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of power line communication performed by aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an operation of aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of noise generated by a portable device,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are timing diagrams illustrating examples ofoperations of portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a portabledevice, according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts illustrating examples of methods ofoperating portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts;

FIGS. 15A and 15B are flowcharts illustrating examples of methods ofoperating portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a portabledevice, according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts; and

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device 100 accordingto example embodiments of the inventive concepts. For example, the blockdiagram of FIG. 1 illustrates the portable device 100, a charger 200connected to the portable device 100, and/or a power source 300connected to the charger 200.

The charger (or charging device) 200 may provide power to the portabledevice 100, based on power provided by the power source 300. In someexample embodiments, the power source 300 may provide an AC voltage, andthe charger 200 may provide, to the portable device 100, a DC voltagegenerated from the AC voltage. In some example embodiments, the powersource 300 may provide, to the charger 200, a first DC voltage generatedfrom an AC voltage, and the charger 200 may provide, to the portabledevice 100, a second DC voltage generated from the first DC voltage. Insome example embodiments, as described below with reference to FIG. 17 ,the charger 200, which may also be a portable device, may include arechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery of the battery 200may be charged from power provided by the power source 300.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the charger 200 may include a modem 220, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC) 240, and/or a processor 260 and mayinclude a first terminal T21 and a second terminal T22, which arerespectively connected to a first terminal T11 and a second terminal T12of the portable device 100. The first terminal T21 and the secondterminal T22 of the charger 200 may be electrically connected to thefirst terminal T11 and the second terminal T12 of the portable device100 via cables, respectively, or may be directly connected to the firstterminal T11 and the second terminal T12 of the portable device 100,respectively. Herein, it is assumed that the first terminal T21 of thecharger 200 and the first terminal T11 of the portable device 100 havehigher electric potentials than the second terminal T22 of the charger200 and the second terminal T12 of the portable device 100.

The modem 220 may be connected to the first terminal T21 and the secondterminal T22 of the charger 200 and may perform power line communication(PLC) with the portable device 100 via the first terminal T21 and/or thesecond terminal T22. For example, the modem 220 may transmit a packet,which is generated by encoding and modulating data provided by theprocessor 260, to the portable device 100 and may provide data, which isgenerated by decoding and demodulating the packet received from theportable device 100, to the processor 260.

The PMIC 240 may generate power, which is supplied to the portabledevice 100, from power provided by the power source 300. For example,the PMIC 240 may include at least one regulator for generating DCvoltages, at least one sensor for sensing currents and/or voltages, atleast one power switch for selectively cutting off currents and/orvoltages, and at least one passive element such as a capacitor and/or adiode. In addition, in some example embodiments, when the charger 200receives an AC voltage from the power source 300, the PMIC 240 mayinclude a converter for generating a DC voltage from the AC voltage.Power, which the charger 200 provides to the portable device 100 byusing the PMIC 240, may be referred to as first power.

The processor 260 may communicate with the portable device 100 via themodem 220 and may control the PMIC 240. For example, the processor 260may identify information, a state, or the like of the portable device100, based on data received from the portable device 100 via the modem220, and may transmit data including information, a state, or the likeof the charger 200 to the portable device 100 via the modem 220. Forexample, the processor 260 may control the PMIC 240, based on theinformation and/or the state of the portable device 100, and thus, thefirst power provided to the portable device 100 may be controlled. Insome example embodiments, the processor 260 may include a logic circuitincluding a state machine and may include at least one core executing aseries of instructions.

The portable device 100 may include a battery 180 and may be any deviceindependently operable based on power provided by the battery 180. Forexample, the portable device 100 may include a computing device such asa laptop computer, a tablet personal computer (PC), or a mobile phone,an input/output device such as a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, ora wireless speaker, a wearable device such as smart glasses, a smartwatch, a smart band, or wireless earphones, and a transport device suchas an electric vehicle, an electric bicycle, or an electric kickboard.The battery 180 included in the portable device 100 may include arechargeable battery. As shown in FIG. 1 , the portable device 100 maybe connected to the charger 200 and may charge the battery 180 from thepower provided by the charger 200, that is, the first power. Therechargeable battery may be simply referred to as a battery. As shown inFIG. 1 , the portable device 100 may include a modem 120, a chargingcircuit 140, and/or an electrical load 160, in addition to the battery180, and may include the first terminal T11 and the second terminal T12,which are respectively connected to the first terminal T21 and thesecond terminal T22 of the charger 200.

The modem 120 may be connected to the first terminal T11 and the secondterminal T12 of the portable device 100 and may perform power linecommunication with the charger 200, that is, the modem 220 of thecharger 200, via the first terminal T11 and/or the second terminal T12.For example, the modem 120 may transmit a packet, which is generated byencoding and modulating data provided by a processor 164 of theelectrical load 160, to the charger 200 and may provide data, which isgenerated by decoding and demodulating the packet received from thecharger 200, to the processor 164. An example of the modem 120 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 2 .

The charging circuit 140 may charge the battery 180 from the first powerprovided by the charger 200 and may provide power to the electrical load160. In addition, the charging circuit 140 may provide power, which isprovided by the battery 180, to the electrical load 160. The power,which the battery 180 provides to the electrical load 160, may bereferred to as second power. For example, the charging circuit 140 maycharge the battery 180 by supplying at least a portion of the firstpower to the battery 180 and may cut off the supply of the first powerto the battery 180 when the charging of the battery 180 is completed. Inaddition, when the portable device 100 is disconnected from the charger200, the charging circuit 140 may supply the second power to theelectrical load 160, and when the battery 180 is overdischarged, theportable device 100 may cut off the supply of the second power to theelectrical load 160. Examples of the charging circuit 140 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 5 and the like.

The electrical load 160 may perform an operation for a function providedby the portable device 100, based on power supplied by the chargingcircuit 140. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the electrical load 160may include a transceiver 162, the processor 164, and/or a memory 166,and the transceiver 162, the processor 164, and the memory 166 may beoperated based on the power supplied by the charging circuit 140, thatis, at least a portion of the first power and/or the second power. Insome example embodiments, the modem 120 may also be operated based onthe power supplied by the charging circuit 140 and may be referred to asan electrical load. The electrical load may be referred to as a load ora load circuit.

The transceiver 162 may be connected to an antenna and may performwireless communication with a host device (for example, 40 of FIG. 17 )and/or another portable device. For example, the transceiver 162 mayperform mobile communication such as long term evolution (LTE) and5^(th) generation new radio (5G NR) of the 3^(rd) generation partnershipproject (3GPP), may perform communication based on a wireless personalarea network (PAN) such as Bluetooth, Li-Fi, Wireless USB, or Zigbee,may perform communication based on a wireless local area network (LAN)such as Wi-Fi, or may perform near-field communication (NFC). Thetransceiver 162 may consume relatively high power, and in particular,may consume high power during transmission of signals via the antenna.Accordingly, while wireless communication is performed by thetransceiver 162 in a state in which the portable device 100 is connectedto the charger 200, a current I_(N1) flowing from the first terminal T11to the charging circuit 140, at a first node connected to the firstterminal T11, may increase. Although it is assumed that the portabledevice 100 includes, as the electrical load 160, the transceiver 162 forwireless communication, it should be noted that the portable device 100may include any electrical load performing an operation for a functionprovided by the portable device 100.

The processor 164 may communicate with the charger 200 via the modem 120and may control other components of the portable device 100. Forexample, the processor 164 may identify the information, the state, orthe like of the charger 200, based on data received from the charger 200via the modem 120, and may transmit data including the information, thestate, or the like of the portable device 100 to the charger 200 via themodem 120. In addition, the processor 164 may transmit data to anotherdevice via the transceiver 162 and may receive data, which istransmitted by the other device, via the transceiver 162. In someexample embodiments, the processor 164 may include a logic circuitincluding a state machine and may include at least one core executing aseries of instructions.

The memory 166 may store instructions (or software) executed by theprocessor 164, may store data transmitted or received via the modem 120,and may store data transmitted or received via the transceiver 162. Insome example embodiments, the memory 166 may include a volatile memorydevice such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static randomaccess memory (SRAM), or a non-volatile memory device such as flashmemory or resistive random access memory (RRAM).

As described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 11 , noise may begenerated due to various causes, and power line communication betweenthe portable device 100 and the charger 200 may be affected by thenoise. For example, the modem 120 of the portable device 100 and/or themodem 220 of the charger 200 may misidentify the noise as a signaltransmitted by a counterpart, and a signal transmitted to thecounterpart by the modem 120 and/or the modem 220 may be distorted bythe noise. As described below with reference to figures, the portabledevice 100 may allow communication with the charger 200 to be free fromnoise, and thus, the communication between the portable device 100 andthe charger 200 may be more efficiently and/or more accuratelyperformed. In addition, due to the more efficient and/or more accuratecommunication between the portable device 100 and the charger 200,desirable functions, for example, quick charging, battery protection,overheating prevention, high-efficiency charging, and/or the like, ofthe portable device 100 may be readily achieved. Further, due to themore efficient and/or more accurate power line communication, theportable device 100 may be simply connected to the charger 200, and theportable device 100 and/or the charger 200 may have a simple structure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device 100′ accordingto example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Similarly to theportable device 100 of FIG. 1 , the portable device 100′ of FIG. 2 mayinclude a modem 120′ and may include, as electrical loads, a transceiver162′, a processor 164′, a memory 166′, and/or a bus 168′. The modem120′, the transceiver 162′, the processor 164′, and the memory 166′ maycommunicate with each other via the bus 168′. In the followingdescriptions regarding FIG. 2 , repeated descriptions given withreference to FIG. 1 are omitted.

The modem 120′ may be connected to the first terminal T11 and the secondterminal T12. In addition, the modem 120′ may be connected to the bus168′ and may generate a packet from data provided via the bus 168′ andtransmit the packet via the first terminal T11 and/or the secondterminal T12 or may generate data from a packet received via the firstterminal T11 and/or the second terminal T12 and transmit the data to thebus 168′. As shown in FIG. 2 , the modem 120′ may include an analogfront-end circuit AFE, an encoder 122, a modulator 124, a demodulator126, and/or a decoder 128, and the encoder 122, the modulator 124, thedemodulator 126, and the decoder 128 may be collectively referred to asa digital circuit DIG.

The encoder 122 may receive data from the processor 164′ or the memory166′ via the bus 168′. The encoder 122 may encode data according to aformat shared with the charger 200 and may provide the encoded data tothe modulator 124. In some example embodiments, the encoder 122 mayfurther encode a header in addition to data. The modulator 124 maymodulate the encoded data according to a modulation method shared withthe charger 200 and may provide a modulated signal to the analogfront-end circuit AFE. The analog front-end circuit AFE may output asignal to the first terminal T11 and/or the second terminal T12, basedon the modulated signal. For example, the analog front-end circuit AFEmay output a signal based on current modulation.

The analog front-end circuit AFE may provide the modulated signal, whichis received via the first terminal T11 and/or the second terminal T12,to the demodulator 126. For example, the analog front-end circuit AFEmay provide a signal, which is received based on voltage modulation, tothe demodulator 126. The demodulator 126 may demodulate the modulatedsignal according to the modulation method shared with the charger 200and may provide the demodulated signal to the decoder 128. The decoder128 may decode the demodulated signal according to the format sharedwith the charger 200 and may transmit decoded data to the processor 164′or the memory 166′ via the bus 168′. In some example embodiments, thedecoder 128 may further decode a header in addition to data. Inaddition, in some example embodiments, the decoder 128 may furtheroutput information about errors occurring during reception.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are timing diagrams illustrating examples of packets,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. For example,the timing diagrams of FIGS. 3A and 3B each illustrate a voltage V_(N1)of a first node N1 with the lapse of time, the voltage V_(N1) of thefirst node N1 corresponding to a packet that refers to a unit oftransmission or reception in power line communication between theportable device 100 and the charger 200 in FIG. 1 . Hereinafter,descriptions regarding FIGS. 3A and 3B will be made with reference toFIG. 1 , and it is assumed that the modem 120 of the portable device 100transmits a packet. In the descriptions regarding FIGS. 3A and 3B,repeated descriptions given with reference to each other are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3A, in some example embodiments, a packet maysequentially include a preamble, a header, and/or data, in the statedorder. The preamble may include a series of pulses, and a reception sidemay detect a frequency, a duty, and/or the like, which are used intransmission, based on the pulses included in the preamble. For example,the preamble may include the pulses which are used in the header and thedata and have minimum pulse widths, the header and the data beingsubsequent to the preamble. The header may include information aboutattributes of the data that is subsequent to the header. For example,the header may indicate that a value represented by the data is versioninformation or is a currently measured voltage of the battery 180. Insome example embodiments, the header may include a start bit and/or aparity bit. In addition, in some example embodiments, the data mayinclude a parity bit and/or a stop bit.

Referring to FIG. 3B, in some example embodiments, a packet maysequentially include a preamble, a header, and/or data in the statedorder, and the data may sequentially include a message and/or a checksumin the stated order. The checksum may be used to check the integrity ofthe data on a reception side, and in some example embodiments, thechecksum may be between a parity bit of the data and a stop bit of thedata. It will be understood that the packets shown in FIGS. 3A and 3Bare merely examples, and that a packet in power line communication isnot limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of noise generated by a portable device,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. For example,FIG. 4 illustrates examples of waveforms of a voltage V_(N1) and acurrent I_(N1) of the first node N1 of FIG. 1 . Hereinafter,descriptions regarding FIG. 4 will be made with reference to FIG. 1 .

Referring to the upper part of FIG. 4 , the transceiver 162 mayperiodically communicate with a host device and/or another portabledevice. For example, the portable device 100 may periodically transmitor receive a signal to check whether a state of connection to the hostdevice and/or the other portable device is maintained, to maintainsynchronization with the host device and/or the other portable device,and/or to search for the host device therearound and/or the otherportable device therearound. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, a relatively large amount of power may be consumed by wirelesscommunication, and thus, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 4 , on everycycle T_(PING) on which the wireless communication is performed, thevoltage V_(N1) of the first node N1 may decrease and the current I_(N1)of the first node N1 may increase.

Referring to the lower part of FIG. 4 , during the wirelesscommunication, the voltage V_(N1) and the current I_(N1) of the firstnode N1 may include pulses. Accordingly, the modem 120 of the portabledevice 100 and/or the modem 220 of the charger 200 may misidentify thepulses, generated during the wireless communication, of the voltageV_(N1) and the current I_(N1) of the first node N1 as a packet (or apreamble) transmitted by a counterpart, and when the wirelesscommunication occurs during the power line communication between theportable device 100 and the charger 200, the packet may be distorted. Assuch, example embodiments, in which the power line communication is moreaccurately performed despite noise generated during the wirelesscommunication, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device 100 a accordingto example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Similar to theportable device 100 of FIG. 1 , the portable device 100 a of FIG. 5 mayinclude a modem 120 a, a charging circuit 140 a, an electrical load 160a, and/or a battery 180 a and may include the first terminal T11 and thesecond terminal T12. In the following descriptions regarding FIG. 5 ,repeated descriptions given with reference to FIG. 1 are omitted.

The charging circuit 140 a may include a first switch SW1 a, a secondswitch SW2 a, and/or a switch controller 142 a. The first switch SW1 amay be connected between the first terminal T11 (or the first node N1)and the electrical load 160 a and may be controlled by the switchcontroller 142 a. In addition, the second switch SW2 a may be connectedbetween the electrical load 160 a and the battery 180 a and may becontrolled by the switch controller 142 a. Each of the first switch SW1a and the second switch SW2 a may have any structure capable ofelectrically connecting ends on both sides thereof to each other in anON state thereof and electrically disconnecting the ends on both sidesthereof from each other in an OFF state thereof. For example, each ofthe first switch SW1 a and the second switch SW2 a may include a powertransistor, which is a field effect transistor (FET) having a gateconnected to the switch controller 142 a. The switch controller 142 amay supply the first power to the electrical load 160 a and/or thebattery 180 a by turning on the first switch SW1 a and may cut off thesupply of the first power by turning off the first switch SW1 a. Inaddition, the switch controller 142 a may supply the second power to theelectrical load 160 a by turning on the second switch SW2 a and may cutoff the supply of the second power by turning off the second switch SW2a.

In some example embodiments, during a period (which may be referred toas a first period) including a period in which power line communicationoccurs, the charging circuit 140 a may cut off the supply of the firstpower to the electrical load 160 a and supply the second power to theelectrical load 160 a. For example, the modem 120 a may generate a firstsignal SIG1 activated during the first period including a period oftransmitting a packet to a charger (for example, 200 of FIG. 1 ) throughthe power line communication. The switch controller 142 a may receivethe first signal SIG1 from the modem 120 a and may identify the firstperiod based on the activated first signal SIG1. The switch controller142 a may turn off the first switch SW1 a and turn on the second switchSW2 a, during the first period. Accordingly, the electrical load 160 amay be operated based on the second power instead of the first power,and the first node N1 may be free from noise caused by an operation ofthe electrical load 160 a.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an operation of aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts. For example, the timing diagram of FIG. 6 illustrates anexample of an operation of the portable device 100 a of FIG. 5 . Thefirst signal SIG1 in FIG. 6 is assumed to be an active high signal, anddescriptions regarding FIG. 6 will be made with reference to FIG. 5 .

At time t61, the first signal SIG1 may be activated. For example, themodem 120 a may activate the first signal SIG1 before transmitting apacket to a charger (for example, 200 of FIG. 1 ). In response to theactivated first signal SIG1, the switch controller 142 a may turn offthe first switch SW1 a and may maintain the second switch SW2 a in an ONstate. Accordingly, the supply of the first power may be cut off, andthe second power from the battery 180 a may be supplied to theelectrical load 160 a.

Between time t62 and time t63, transmission TX in power linecommunication may occur. For example, between the time t62 and the timet63, the modem 120 a may output a signal to the first terminal T11,based on current modulation. As shown in FIG. 6 , between the time t62and the time t63, the first signal SIG1 may be maintained activated andthe first switch SW1 a may be maintained in an OFF state. Accordingly,the transmission TX may not be affected by noise that may be generatedby the electrical load 160 a.

At time t64, the first signal SIG1 may be deactivated. For example, themodem 120 a may deactivate the first signal SIG1 after the transmissionTX is completed. In response to the deactivated first signal SIG1, theswitch controller 142 a may turn on the first switch SW1 a and maymaintain the second switch SW2 a in an ON state. Accordingly, the firstpower may be supplied again to the electrical load 160 a and the battery180 a.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a period in which the first signal SIG1 isactivated, that is, a first period P₁, may include a period in which thetransmission TX occurs, that is, a transmission period P_(TX). Inaddition, in the first period P₁, a period before the transmissionperiod P_(TX) may be referred to as a pre-transmission period P_(PRE),and a period after the transmission period P_(TX) may be referred to asa post-transmission period P_(POST). In some example embodiments, thepre-transmission period P_(PRE) and the post-transmission periodP_(POST) may be approximately equal to each other and may be longer thana maximum length of the transmission period P_(TX), that is, a maximumtransmission period of a packet. For example, each of thepre-transmission period P_(PRE), the transmission period P_(TX), and thepost-transmission period P_(POST) may be approximately tens ofmilliseconds.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of power line communication performed by aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates waveforms of the voltageV_(N1) and the current I_(N1) of the first node N1 of FIG. 5 .Hereinafter, descriptions regarding FIG. 7 will be made with referenceto FIG. 5 .

In periods except for the first period P₁, similarly to the descriptionsmade with reference to FIG. 4 , the current I_(N1) of the first node N1may increase on every cycle T_(PING). However, in the first period P₁, areduction in the current I_(N1) of the first node N1 due to wirelesscommunication periodically performed may not occur, and power linecommunication may be more accurately performed during the transmissionperiod P_(TX). An increased level of the voltage V_(N1) of the firstnode N1 and a decreased level of the current I_(N1) of the first nodeN1, during the first period P₁ of FIG. 7 , may result from removal ofconsumption of the first power by the electrical load 160 a during thefirst period P₁.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device 100 b accordingto example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Similarly to theportable device 100 of FIG. 1 , the portable device 100 b of FIG. 8 mayinclude a modem 120 b, a charging circuit 140 b, a transceiver 162 b asan electrical load, and/or a battery 180 b and may include the firstterminal T11 and the second terminal T12. In addition, similarly to thecharging circuit 140 a of FIG. 5 , the charging circuit 140 b of FIG. 8may include a first switch SW1 b, a second switch SW2 b, and a switchcontroller 142 b. In the following descriptions regarding FIG. 8 ,repeated descriptions given above with reference to the figures areomitted.

The transceiver 162 b may generate a second signal SIG2 activated duringa period (which may be referred to as a second period) including aperiod in which wireless communication occurs. The switch controller 142b may receive the second signal SIG2 from the transceiver 162 b and mayidentify the second period based on the activated second signal SIG2.The switch controller 142 b may turn off the first switch SW1 b and turnon the second switch SW2 b, during the second period. Accordingly, theelectrical load, that is, the transceiver 162 b, may perform thewireless communication based on the second power instead of the firstpower, and the first node N1 may be free from noise caused by thewireless communication of the transceiver 162 b.

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an operation of aportable device, according to example embodiments of the inventiveconcepts. For example, the timing diagram of FIG. 9 illustrates anexample of an operation of the portable device 100 b of FIG. 8 . Thesecond signal SIG2 is assumed to be an active high signal in FIG. 9 ,and descriptions regarding FIG. 9 will be made with reference to FIG. 8.

Between time t91 and time t92, transmission or reception TX/RX in powerline communication may occur. For example, between the time t91 and thetime t92, the modem 120 b may output a signal to the first terminal T11,based on current modulation, or may receive, from the first terminalT11, a signal that is based on voltage modulation. As shown in FIG. 9 ,between the time t91 and the time t92, wireless communication by thetransceiver 160 b may not occur, and thus, the transmission or receptionTX/RX in the power line communication may be more accurately performed.

At time t93, the second signal SIG2 may be activated. For example, thetransceiver 160 b may activate the second signal SIG2 beforetransmitting (or receiving) a signal via an antenna. In response to theactivated second signal SIG2, the switch controller 142 b may turn offthe first switch SW1 b and maintain the second switch SW2 b in an ONstate. Accordingly, the supply of the first power may be cut off, andthe second power from the battery 180 b may be supplied to thetransceiver 160 b.

At time t94, the transmission or reception TX/RX in the power linecommunication may be started, and at time t95, the transmission TX (orreception) by the transceiver 160 b may be started. As shown in FIG. 9 ,the second signal SIG2 may be maintained activated from the time t93,and thus, the first switch SW1 b may be maintained in an OFF state andthe second switch SW2 b may be maintained in an ON state. Accordingly,the transmission TX (or reception) by the transceiver 160 b may beperformed based on the second power, and the transmission or receptionTX/RX in the power line communication may not be affected by noise thatmay be generated due to wireless communication. Next, at the time t95,the transmission or reception TX/RX in the power line communication maybe more accurately terminated, and at time t96, the transmission TX (orreception) by the transceiver 160 b may be terminated.

At time t97, the second signal SIG2 may be deactivated. For example, thetransceiver 160 b may deactivate the second signal SIG2 after thetransmission TX (or reception) via the antenna is completed. In responseto the deactivated second signal SIG2, the switch controller 142 b mayturn on the first switch SW1 b and maintain the second switch SW2 b inan ON state. Accordingly, the first power may be supplied again to thetransceiver 160 b and the battery 180 b. As shown in FIG. 9 , a periodin which the second signal SIG2 is activated, that is, a second periodP₂, may include a pre-transmission period V′_(PRE), a transmissionperiod P′_(TX), and a post-transmission period P′_(POST).

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device 100 caccording to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Similarly tothe portable device 100 of FIG. 1 , the portable device 100 c of FIG. 10may include a modem 120 c, a charging circuit 140 c, an electrical load160 c, and/or a battery 180 c and may include the first terminal T11 andthe second terminal T12. In addition, the charging circuit 140 c mayinclude a first switch SW1 c, a second switch SW2 c, and/or a switchcontroller 142 c, and the electrical load 160 c may include atransceiver 162 c and/or a processor 164 c. In the followingdescriptions regarding FIG. 10 , repeated descriptions given above withreference to the figures are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the modem 120 c may generate an interrupt signalINTR and may provide the interrupt signal INTR to the processor 164 c.For example, when reception in power line communication occurs, themodem 120 c may generate the activated interrupt signal INTR. Inresponse to the activated interrupt signal INTR, the processor 164 c mayobtain, from the modem 120 c, data received through the power linecommunication. The interrupt signal INTR may also be referred to as aPLC interrupt signal.

Similarly to the transceiver 162 b of FIG. 8 , the transceiver 162 c ofFIG. 10 may generate the second signal SIG2 activated during a periodincluding a period in which wireless communication occurs, that is,during the second period. The processor 164 c may receive the secondsignal SIG2 and may identify the second period based on the activatedsecond signal SIG2. During the second period, the processor 164 c mayignore the activated interrupt signal INTR. Accordingly, a signalreceived through the power line communication in the second period maybe ignored, and transmission of an acknowledgement (for example, an ACKor an NACK), in response to the reception, may not occur. Therefore,reception errors in the power line communication, which may be distortedby noise caused by the wireless communication, may be reduced orprevented. In some example embodiments, unlike the example shown in FIG.10 , the second signal SIG2 may be provided to the modem 120 c insteadof the processor 164 c, and the modem 120 c may prevent the activationof the interrupt signal INTR while the second signal SIG2 is activated.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of noise generated by a portable device,according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. For example,FIG. 11 illustrates examples of waveforms of the voltage V_(N1) and thecurrent I_(N1) of the first node N1 of FIG. 1 . Hereinafter,descriptions regarding FIG. 11 will be made with reference to FIG. 1 .

After the portable device 100 is connected to the charger 200, noise maybe generated. For example, at a time point at which the portable device100 is connected to the charger 200, noise may be generated at the firstnode N1, due to: movement of electric charges, which is caused by adifference between the first power of the charger 200 and the secondpower of the battery 180; the occurrence of consumption of the firstpower by the electrical load 160; a difference between time points atwhich the first terminal T11 and the second terminal T12 of the portabledevice 100 are respectively brought into contact with the first terminalT21 and the second terminal T22 of the charger 200; or the like. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 11 , noise may be generated in the voltageV_(N1) and the current I_(N1) of the first node N1 directly after theportable device 100 is connected to the charger 200, and thus, the modem120 of the portable device 100 and/or the modem 220 of the charger 200may misidentify the noise as a packet (or a preamble) transmitted by acounterpart, and when wireless communication occurs during the powerline communication between the portable device 100 and the charger 200,the packet may be distorted. As such, example embodiments, in which thepower line communication is more accurately performed despite the noisegenerated during the connection between the portable device 100 and thecharger 200, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12A and12B.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are timing diagrams illustrating examples ofoperations of portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts. For example, the timing diagrams of FIGS. 12A and12B illustrate examples of operations of allowing power linecommunication between a portable device and a charger to be free fromnoise generated directly after the portable device is connected to thecharger. In some example embodiments, the operations of FIGS. 12A and12B may be performed by the portable device 100 c of FIG. 10 , andhereinafter, descriptions regarding FIGS. 12A and 12B will be made withreference to FIG. 10 .

Referring to FIG. 12A, at time t121, the portable device 100 c may beconnected to a charger (for example, 200 of FIG. 1 ), and noise may begenerated as described above with reference to FIG. 11 . The switchcontroller 142 c may cut off the supply of the first power during acertain period (which may be referred to as a third period) from a timepoint at which the portable device 100 c is connected to the charger.For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, during a third period P₃ from thetime t121 to the time t122, the charging circuit 140 c may turn off thefirst switch SW1 c and turn on the second switch SW2 c. Accordingly,noise caused by initial fluctuation of the first power may besuppressed, and the modem 120 c may more accurately perform power linecommunication with the charger in the third period P₃.

Referring to FIG. 12B, at time t123, the portable device 100 c may beconnected to a charger (for example, 200 of FIG. 1 ), and noise may begenerated as described above with reference to FIG. 11 . The modem 120 cmay cut off the occurrence of an interrupt during a certain period froma time point at which the portable device 100 c is connected to thecharger. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, the modem 120 c may generatethe deactivated interrupt signal INTR during the third period P3 fromthe time t123 to the time t124. After the third period P3 is terminated,the activated interrupt signal INTR may be generated upon reception inpower line communication at time t125. Accordingly, errors in the powerline communication due to the initial fluctuation of the first power maybe reduced or prevented.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a portabledevice, according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Asshown in FIG. 13 , the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S11 to S16. In some exampleembodiments, the method of FIG. 13 may be performed by the portabledevice 100 a of FIG. 5 , and hereinafter, descriptions regarding FIG. 13will be made with reference to FIG. 5 .

In operation S11, it may be determined whether a first period isstarted. As described above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the firstperiod may include a period in which power line communication by themodem 120 a occurs. For example, the modem 120 a may generate theactivated first signal SIG1 before transmitting a packet to a charger(for example, 200 of FIG. 1 ), and the first period may be started. Asshown in FIG. 13 , when the first period is started, operation S12 maybe subsequently performed.

In operation S12, the supply of the first power to the electrical load160 a and the battery 180 a may be cut off. For example, in response tothe activated first signal SIG1, the switch controller 142 a may turnoff the first switch SW1 a, and the supply of the first power providedby the charger may be cut off. Accordingly, noise caused by drasticpower consumption by the electrical load 160 a during the first periodmay not affect the power line communication.

In operation S13, the second power may be supplied to the electricalload 160 a. For example, in response to the activated first signal SIG1,the switch controller 142 a may turn on the second switch SW2 a, and thesecond power provided by the battery 180 a may be supplied to theelectrical load 160 a. Accordingly, the electrical load 160 a may beoperated based on the second power even though the supply of the firstpower is cut off.

In operation S14, a packet may be transmitted to the charger. Forexample, the modem 120 a may transmit the packet to the charger duringthe first period, that is, while the first signal SIG1 is activated. Thetransmission of the packet may not be affected by noise caused by anoperation of the electrical load 160 a, and thus, the power linecommunication may be more accurately performed.

In operation S15, it may be determined whether the first period isterminated. For example, after the transmission of the packet to thecharger is completed, the modem 120 a may generate the deactivated firstsignal SIG1, and the first period may be terminated. As shown in FIG. 13, after the first period is terminated, operation S16 may besubsequently performed.

In operation S16, the first power may be supplied to the electrical load160 a and the battery 180 a. For example, in response to the deactivatedfirst signal SIG1, the switch controller 142 a may turn on the firstswitch SW1 a and the second switch SW2 a, and thus, the first powerprovided by the charger may be supplied to the electrical load 160 a andthe battery 180 a.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts illustrating examples of methods ofoperating portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts. In some example embodiments, the method of FIG. 14Amay be performed by the portable device 100 b of FIG. 8 , and the methodof FIG. 14B may be performed by the portable device 100 c of FIG. 10 .Hereinafter, descriptions regarding FIG. 14A will be made with referenceto FIG. 8 , and descriptions regarding FIG. 14B will be made withreference to FIG. 10 .

Referring to FIG. 14A, the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S21 a to S26 a. In operation S21 a, itmay be determined whether a second period is started. As described abovewith reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the second period may include a periodin which wireless communication by the transceiver 162 b occurs. Forexample, the transceiver 162 b may generate the activated second signalSIG2 before transmitting a signal via the antenna, and the second periodmay be started. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the second period is started,operation S22 a may be subsequently performed.

In operation S22 a, the supply of the first power to an electrical loadand the battery 180 b may be cut off. For example, in response to theactivated second signal SIG2, the switch controller 142 b may turn offthe first switch SW1 b, and the supply of the first power provided by acharger may be cut off. Accordingly, noise caused by drastic powerconsumption by the electrical load, for example, the transceiver 162 b,during the second period may not affect the power line communication.

In operation S23 a, the second power may be supplied to the electricalload. For example, in response to the activated second signal SIG2, theswitch controller 142 b may turn on the second switch SW2 b, and thesecond power provided by the battery 180 b may be supplied to theelectrical load, for example, the transceiver 162 b. Accordingly, theelectrical load including the transceiver 162 b may be operated based onthe second power even though the supply of the first power has been cutoff.

In operation S24 a, the wireless communication may be performed. Forexample, the transceiver 162 b may process a signal received via theantenna and may output a signal to be transmitted via the antenna. Whenthe power line communication occurs in the second period, the power linecommunication may not be affected by noise caused by an operation of thetransceiver 162 b, and thus, the power line communication may be moreaccurately performed.

In operation S25 a, it may be determined whether the second period isterminated. For example, after the reception of the signal via theantenna is completed, the transceiver 162 b may generate the deactivatedsecond signal SIG2, and the second period may be terminated. As shown inFIG. 14A, when the second period is terminated, operation S26 a may besubsequently performed.

In operation S26 a, the first power may be supplied to the electricalload and the battery 180 b. For example, in response to the deactivatedsecond signal SIG2, the switch controller 142 b may turn on the firstswitch SW1 a and the second switch SW2 a, and thus, the first powerprovided by the charger may be supplied to the electrical load, forexample, the transceiver 162 b, and to the battery 180 a.

Referring to FIG. 14B, the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S21 b, S22 b, S25 b, and S26 b. Inoperation S21 b, it may be determined whether a second period isstarted. As described above with reference to FIG. 10 , the secondperiod may include a period in which wireless communication by thetransceiver 162 c occurs. For example, the transceiver 162 c maygenerate the activated second signal SIG2 before transmitting a signalvia the antenna, and the second period may be started. As shown in FIG.14B, when the second period is started, operation S22 b may besubsequently performed.

In operation S22 b, a PLC interrupt may be deactivated. For example, theprocessor 164 c may receive the second signal SIG2 from the transceiver162 c and may receive the interrupt signal (or PLC interrupt signal)INTR from the modem 120 c. In response to the activated second signalSIG2, the processor 164 c may ignore the interrupt signal INTR.Accordingly, a signal received through power line communication in thesecond period may be ignored, and reception errors in the power linecommunication, which may be distorted by noise caused by the wirelesscommunication, may be reduced or prevented.

In operation S25 b, it may be determined whether the second period isterminated. For example, after the transmission of the signal via theantenna is completed, the transceiver 162 b may generate the deactivatedsecond signal SIG2, and the second period may be terminated. As shown inFIG. 14B, when the second period is terminated, operation S26 b may besubsequently performed.

In operation S26 b, the PLC interrupt may be activated. For example, inresponse to the deactivated second signal SIG2, the processor 164 c mayprocess the interrupt signal INTR, and when the activated interruptsignal INTR is received, the processor 164 c may obtain data, which isreceived through the power line communication, from the modem 120 c.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are flowcharts illustrating examples of methods ofoperating portable devices, according to example embodiments of theinventive concepts. In some example embodiments, the methods of FIGS.15A and 15B may be performed by the portable device 100 c of FIG. 10 ,and hereinafter, descriptions regarding FIGS. 15A and 15B will be madewith reference to FIG. 10 .

Referring to FIG. 15A, the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S31 a to S35 a. In operation S31 a, itmay be determined whether a third period is started. As described abovewith reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the third period may be started ata time point at which the portable device 100 c is connected to acharger. In some example embodiments, the switch controller 142 c maydetermine, by itself or based on a signal provided by another componentof the portable device 100 c, whether the portable device 100 c isconnected to the charger. As shown in FIG. 15A, when the third period isstarted because the portable device 100 c is connected to the charger,operation S32 a may be subsequently performed.

In operation S32 a, the supply of the first power to the electrical load160 c and the battery 180 c may be cut off. For example, directly afterthe portable device 100 c is connected to the charger, the switchcontroller 142 c may turn off the first switch SW1 c, and the supply ofthe first power provided by the charger may be cut off. Accordingly,noise caused by the initial fluctuation of the first power may besuppressed, and the modem 120 c may more accurately perform power linecommunication with the charger in the third period.

In operation S33 a, the second power may be supplied to the electricalload 160 c. For example, the switch controller 142 c may turn on thesecond switch SW2 c, and the second power provided by the battery 180 cmay be supplied to the electrical load 160 c. Accordingly, theelectrical load 160 c may be operated based on the second power eventhough the supply of the first power is cut off.

In operation S34 a, it may be determined whether the third period isterminated. For example, the switch controller 142 c may determine,based on an output from a timer, whether the third period is terminated.As shown in FIG. 15A, when the third period is terminated, operation S35a may be subsequently performed.

In operation S35 a, the first power may be supplied to the electricalload 160 c and the battery 180 c. For example, when the third period isterminated, the switch controller 142 c may turn on the first switch SW1c and the second switch SW2 c, and thus, the first power provided by thecharger may be supplied to the electrical load 160 c and the battery 180c.

Referring to FIG. 15B, the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S31 b, S32 b, S34 b, and S35 b. Inoperation S31 b, it may be determined whether a third period is started.In some example embodiments, the modem 120 c may determine, by itself orbased on a signal provided by another component of the portable device100 c, whether the portable device 100 c is connected to a charger. Asshown in FIG. 15B, when the third period is started because the portabledevice 100 c is connected to the charger, operation S32 b may besubsequently performed.

In operation S32 b, a PLC interrupt may be deactivated. For example, themodem 120 c may not activate the interrupt signal INTR, despite voltageand/or current fluctuations occurring at the first terminal T11 and/orthe second terminal T12. Accordingly, errors in power line communicationdue to the initial fluctuation of the first power may be reduced orprevented.

In operation S34 b, it may be determined whether the third period isterminated. For example, the modem 120 c may determine, based on anoutput from a timer, whether the third period is terminated. As shown inFIG. 15B, when the third period is terminated, operation S35 b may besubsequently performed.

In operation S35 b, the PLC interrupt may be activated. For example,when a packet is received through the power line communication upon thetermination of the third period, the modem 120 c may activate theinterrupt signal INTR.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a portabledevice, according to example embodiments of the inventive concepts. Asshown in FIG. 16 , the method of operating the portable device mayinclude a plurality of operations S41 to S43. In some exampleembodiments, the method of FIG. 16 may be performed by the portabledevice 100 a of FIG. 5 , and hereinafter, descriptions regarding FIG. 16will be made with reference to FIG. 5 .

In the examples described above with reference to the figures, thesecond switch SW2 a connected between the electrical load 160 a and thebattery 180 a may be maintained in an ON state by the switch controller142 a. However, the switch controller 142 a may cut off the supply ofthe second power, which is output from the battery 180 a, by turning offthe second switch SW2 a based on a state of the battery 180 a.

Referring to FIG. 16 , in operation S41, it may be determined whetherthe battery 180 a is overdischarged. For example, the switch controller142 a may determine whether the battery 180 a is overdischarged, basedon an output voltage, an output current, an output quantity of electriccharge, and/or the like of the battery 180 a. The battery 180 a may bedamaged or have a reduced lifespan when the battery 180 a is maintainedoverdischarged, and to prevent this, the switch controller 142 a maymonitor the state of the battery 180 a. As shown in FIG. 16 , when it isdetermined that the battery 180 a is overdischarged, operation S42 maybe subsequently performed, and when it is determined that the battery180 a is not overdischarged, operation S43 may be subsequentlyperformed.

In operation S42, the second switch SW2 a may be turned off. Forexample, when the battery 180 a is discharged, the switch controller 142a may cut off discharging by turning off the second switch SW2 a. On theother hand, in operation S43, the second switch SW2 a may be turned on.For example, when the battery 180 a is not overdischarged, the switchcontroller 142 a may cause the battery 180 a to be charged or to providethe second power to the electrical load 160 a, by turning on the secondswitch SW2 a.

In some example embodiments, in operation S41, it may be determinedwhether the battery 180 a is fully charged. For example, the switchcontroller 142 a may determine whether the battery 180 a is fullycharged, based on the output voltage, the output current, the outputquantity of electric charge, and/or the like of the battery 180 a.Charging occurring in a fully-charged state, that is, overcharging, maydamage the battery 180 a or reduce the lifespan of the battery 180 a,and to prevent this, the switch controller 142 a may monitor the stateof the battery 180 a. When it is determined that the battery 180 a isfully charged, operation S42 may be subsequently performed, and when itis determined that the battery 180 a is not fully charged, operation S43may be subsequently performed.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts. For example, the blockdiagram of FIG. 17 illustrates first and second earbuds 11 and 12 as aportable device and also illustrates a cradle 20 connected to the firstand second earbuds 11 and 12, a power source 30 connected to the cradle20, and/or a host device 40 performing wireless communication with thefirst and second earbuds 11 and 12. In the following descriptionsregarding FIG. 17 , repeated descriptions given with reference to FIG. 1are omitted.

The first and second earbuds 11 and 12 may perform the wirelesscommunication with the host device 40 and may output sound from a sourcesignal received from the host device 40. The host device 40 may be anydevice providing the source signal to the first and second earbuds 11and 12 through the wireless communication. For example, the host device40 may include a portable device such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, ora laptop PC, or a stationary device such as a television (TV), amultimedia player, or a desktop PC. In addition, the first and secondearbuds 11 and 12 may perform the wireless communication with eachother. For example, the first and second earbuds 11 and 12 may performthe wireless communication with each other for the purpose ofsynchronization, status delivery, or the like. Each of the first andsecond earbuds 11 and 12 may include a battery that is charged frompower supplied by the cradle 20, and as described above with referenceto the figures, each of the first and second earbuds 11 and 12 may moreefficiently and/or/or more accurately perform power line communicationwith the cradle 20. Accordingly, additional terminals for communicationwith the cradle 20 except for a pair of terminals for charging may beomitted from the first and second earbuds 11 and 12, and the first andsecond earbuds 11 and 12 and the cradle 20 may have simple structures.In particular, due to small sizes required for the first and secondearbuds 11 and 12 and the cradle 20, the simple structures of the firstand second earbuds 11 and 12 and the cradle 20 may provide variousadvantages.

The cradle 20 may function as a charger of the first and second earbuds11 and 12 and may be portable. For example, the cradle 20 may include abattery 28 and may charge the first and second earbuds 11 and 12 frompower provided by the battery 28. In addition, the cradle 20 may includea third terminal T23 and a fourth terminal T24 for connection to a powersource 30 and may charge the battery 28 and the first and second earbuds11 and 12 from power provided by the power source 30. In some exampleembodiments, the cradle 20 may function as a case of the first andsecond earbuds 11 and 12. For example, the cradle 20 may have aninternal structure, to which the first and second earbuds 11 and 12 areallowed to be mounted, and may include a cover covering the first andsecond earbuds 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 17 , the cradle 20 mayinclude a first modem 21, a second modem 22, a PMIC 24, and/or thebattery 28.

The PMIC 24 may generate the power, which is supplied to the first andsecond earbuds 11 and 12, from the power provided by the power source 30and/or the battery 28. In some example embodiments, the power source 30may provide a 5 V DC voltage based on a universal serial bus (USB)interface, and the PMIC 24 may generate, from the 5 V DC voltage, avoltage and/or a current for charging the battery 28 and a voltageand/or a current for charging the first and second earbuds 11 and 12.The first modem 21 may perform the power line communication with thefirst earbud 11, and the second modem 22 may perform the power linecommunication with the second earbud 12.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts. Referring to FIG. 18 ,first and second portable devices 50 and 60 may respectively correspondto the portable device 100 and the charger 200 in FIG. 1 .

The first portable device 50 may include a first terminal T1, a variableimpedance circuit 51, a controller 52, a PLC modem 53, a battery 54, aPMIC 55, and/or a wireless transceiver 56. In some example embodiments,the variable impedance circuit 51, the controller 52, the PLC modem 53,the battery 54, the PMIC 55, and/or the wireless transceiver 56 may bemounted on a printed circuit board. The PMIC 55 may manage power of thebattery 54. In some example embodiments, the charging circuit 140 ofFIG. 1 may be implemented as a portion of the PMIC 55. In some exampleembodiments, the first portable device 50 may further include a chargerand a charging integrated circuit (IC).

The wireless transceiver 56 may perform wireless communication with ahost device 70. For example, the wireless transceiver 56 may include aBluetooth module and may receive data from the host device 70. Forexample, non-limiting examples of the host device 70 may include a smartphone, a tablet PC, a PC, a smart TV, a mobile phone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a laptop, a media player, a microserver, a globalpositioning system (GPS) device, an electronic-book (e-book) reader, adigital broadcasting terminal, a navigation system, a kiosk, an MP3player, a digital camera, and other mobile or non-mobile computingdevices. In addition, the host device 70 may include a wearable devicesuch as a watch, glasses, a hair band, or a ring, which has acommunication function and a data processing function. In some exampleembodiments, the wireless transceiver 56 of the first portable device 50may provide the data, which is received from the host device 70, to thesecond portable device 60 through power line communication.

The second portable device 60 may include a second terminal T2, an inputterminal Tin, a variable impedance circuit 61, a controller 62, a PLCmodem 63, a battery 64, and/or a PMIC 65. In some example embodiments,the variable impedance circuit 61, the controller 62, the PLC modem 63,the battery 64, and/or the PMIC 65 may be mounted on a printed circuitboard. The PMIC 65 may manage power of the battery 64. In some exampleembodiments, the PMIC 65 may correspond to the PMIC 240 of FIG. 1 . Insome example embodiments, the second portable device 60 may furtherinclude a converter that converts an input voltage Vin received via theinput terminal Tin.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts. Referring to FIG. 19 ,first and second portable devices 80 and 90 may respectively correspondto the portable device 100 and the charger 200 in FIG. 1 .

The first portable device 80 may include the first terminal T1, animpedance circuit 85, a control circuit 84, a PLC module 83, a battery82, and/or a charging circuit 81. In some example embodiments, thecharging circuit 81 may include a linear charger and may be implementedby a charging IC. The control circuit 84 may enable the charging circuit81 in a charging period and may charge the battery 82 based on powerreceived via a power line PL. In addition, the control circuit 84 maydisable the charging circuit 81 in a data reception period, and thefirst portable device 80 may be operated based on power of the battery82. In some example embodiments, the battery 82 may be charged based onpower received in a data transmission period.

The second portable device 90 may include the second terminal T2, theinput terminal Tin, a converter 91, a battery 92, a PLC module 93, acontrol circuit 94, and/or an impedance circuit 95. The converter 91 maygenerate a voltage Vc converted from the input voltage Vin received viathe input terminal Tin or a voltage of the battery 92. In some exampleembodiments, the converter 91 may include a switching regulator and mayinclude, as a DC-DC converter, a boost converter and/or a buckconverter, or a buck-boost converter. In addition, the converter 91 maycharge the battery 92 based on the input voltage Vin.

The PLC module 83 of the first portable device 80 may include a voltagedemodulator 83_1 and/or a current modulator 83_2 and, in some exampleembodiments, may further include a current source. The current modulator83_2 may perform current modulation under the control of the controlcircuit 84. The current source may generate a modulated current signal(for example, a current pulse), and the current signal may be output viathe first terminal T1. The voltage demodulator 83_1 may demodulate avoltage signal received via the first terminal T1 and may provide thedemodulated signal to the control circuit 84.

The PLC module 93 of the second portable device 90 may include a currentdemodulator 93_1 and/or a voltage modulator 93_2. The control circuit 94may control the current demodulator 93_1 and the voltage modulator 93_2.The voltage modulator 93_2 may generate a modulated voltage signalaccording to the control by the control circuit 94, and the voltagesignal may be output via the second terminal T2. In some exampleembodiments, the voltage modulator 93_2 may include a linear regulator,for example, a low-dropout (LDO) regulator. The current demodulator 93_1may demodulate a current signal received via the second terminal T2 andmay provide the demodulated signal to the control circuit 94.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according toexample embodiments of the inventive concepts. Referring to FIG. 20 , anearbud 410 and a cradle 420 may respectively correspond to the portabledevice 100 and the charger 200 in FIG. 1 .

The earbud 410 may include a control circuit 411, a voltage demodulator412, and/or a current modulator 413, and the voltage demodulator 412 mayinclude a filter 412_1 and/or an amplifier 412_2. The cradle 420 mayinclude a control circuit 421, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 422,and/or an LDO regulator 423, the ADC 422 may perform currentdemodulation, and the LDO regulator 423 may perform voltage modulation.

In the first portable device 410, the filter 412_1 of the voltagedemodulator 412 may remove noise by cutting off a particular frequencycomponent of a voltage signal received via the power line PL and mayprovide the filtered voltage signal to the amplifier 412_2. Theamplifier 412_2 may generate a signal having a logic high level or alogic low level by amplifying a voltage signal and thus provide thesignal to the control circuit 411. The control circuit 411 may identifyinformation transmitted by the cradle 420, based on a signal receivedfrom the amplifier 412_2, and to transfer information to the cradle 420,may generate a modulated current signal, which is transmitted via thepower line PL, by controlling the current modulator 413.

In the cradle 420, the ADC 422 may generate a digital signal from acurrent signal received via the power line PL and thus provide thedigital signal to the control circuit 421. The control circuit 421 mayidentify the information transmitted by the earbud 410, based on thedigital signal. In addition, the control circuit 421 may generate amodulated voltage signal, which is transmitted via the power line PL, bycontrolling the LDO regulator 423.

One or more of the elements disclosed above may include or beimplemented in processing circuitry such as hardware including logiccircuits; a hardware/software combination such as a processor executingsoftware; or a combination thereof. For example, the processingcircuitry more specifically may include, but is not limited to, acentral processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digitalsignal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array(FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, amicroprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.

While the inventive concepts have been particularly shown and describedwith reference to example embodiments thereof, it will be understoodthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable device comprising: a modem configuredto perform power line communication with a charger external to theportable device; and a charging circuit configured to, from first powerprovided by the charger, charge a battery and supply power to anelectrical load, wherein the charging circuit is further configured tocut off supply of the first power to the electrical load and supplysecond power from the battery to the electrical load, during a firstperiod comprising a period in which the power line communication occurs.2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the charging circuit isfurther configured to cut off the supply of the first power to thebattery, during the first period.
 3. The portable device of claim 1,wherein the charging circuit is further configured to supply the firstpower to the battery and the electrical load, when the first period isterminated.
 4. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the modem isfurther configured to generate a first signal activated during atransmission period in which a packet is transmitted to the chargerthrough the power line communication, and the charging circuit isfurther configured to identify the first period based on the activatedfirst signal.
 5. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the modem isfurther configured to activate the first signal during the first period,which comprises a pre-transmission period prior to the transmissionperiod, the transmission period, and a post-transmission periodsubsequent to the transmission period.
 6. The portable device of claim5, wherein each of the pre-transmission period and the post-transmissionperiod is equal to or longer than a maximum transmission period of thepacket.
 7. The portable device of claim 1, further comprising, as theelectrical load, a transceiver configured to perform wirelesscommunication with a host device and/or another portable device, whereinthe transceiver is further configured to periodically perform thewireless communication.
 8. The portable device of claim 7, wherein thecharging circuit is further configured to cut off the supply of thefirst power to the electrical load and supply the second power from thebattery to the electrical load, during a second period comprising aperiod in which the wireless communication occurs.
 9. The portabledevice of claim 7, further comprising a processor configured to transmitdata to and receive data from the charger via the modem, wherein themodem is further configured to deactivate a power line communicationinterrupt with respect to the processor, during a second periodcomprising a period in which the wireless communication occurs.
 10. Theportable device of claim 1, wherein the charging circuit is furtherconfigured to cut off the supply of the first power to the electricalload and supply the second power from the battery to the electricalload, during a third period from a time point of being connected to thecharger.
 11. The portable device of claim 1, further comprising aprocessor configured to transmit data to and receive data from thecharger via the modem, wherein the modem is further configured todeactivate a power line communication interrupt with respect to theprocessor, during a third period from a time point of being connected tothe charger.
 12. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the chargingcircuit is further configured to detect an overdischarged state of thebattery and cut off the supply of the second power in the overdischargedstate of the battery.
 13. A portable device comprising: a first terminaland a second terminal, which contact a charger external to the portabledevice; a modem configured to perform power line communication with thecharger via the first terminal and/or the second terminal; and acharging circuit connected to the first terminal, the second terminal, abattery, and an electrical load, wherein the charging circuit comprises:a first switch connected between the first terminal and the electricalload; a second switch connected between the electrical load and thebattery; and a switch controller configured to turn off the first switchand turn on the second switch, during a first period comprising a periodin which the power line communication occurs.
 14. The portable device ofclaim 13, wherein the switch controller is further configured to turn onthe first switch and turn off the second switch, when the first periodis terminated.
 15. The portable device of claim 13, wherein the modem isfurther configured to generate a first signal activated during atransmission period in which a packet is transmitted to the charger viathe first terminal, and the switch controller is further configured toidentify the first period based on the activated first signal.
 16. Theportable device of claim 13, further comprising, as the electrical load,a transceiver configured to perform wireless communication with a hostdevice and/or another portable device, wherein the transceiver isfurther configured to periodically perform the wireless communication.17. The portable device of claim 16, wherein the transceiver is furtherconfigured to generate a second signal activated during a wirelesscommunication period in which the wireless communication occurs, and theswitch controller is further configured to turn off the first switch andturn on the second switch, during a second period comprising thewireless communication period.
 18. The portable device of claim 13,wherein the switch controller is further configured to turn off thefirst switch and turn on the second switch, during a third period from atime point of being connected to the charger.
 19. The portable device ofclaim 13, wherein the switch controller is further configured to detectan overdischarged state of the battery and turn off the second switch inthe overdischarged state of the battery.
 20. A method of operating aportable device, which performs power line communication with a chargerexternal thereto, the method comprising: during a first periodcomprising a period in which the power line communication occurs,cutting off supply of first power, which is provided by the charger, toan electrical load and supplying second power from a battery to theelectrical load; and, when the first period is terminated, from thefirst power, charging the battery and supplying power to the electricalload.